Hafiz
From Freepedia
- For other meanings of "hafiz", see Hafiz (disambiguation).
Hafiz or Hafez (Arabic:حافظ), literally meaning 'guardian', is a term used by Muslims for people who have completely memorized the Qur'an.
The tradition of hafiz extends all the way back to the period of the revelation of the Qur'an. The most fundamental reason for this tradition is the preservation of the Qu'ran. If each and every written copy of the Qur'an were destroyed, a Hafiz would be able to recite and reconstruct the entire text from memory. In the early days of Islam, the religion was under constant threat, making the tradition of Hafiz extremely important.
Huffaz (plural) are highly respected within the Islamic community, the use of the title "Hafiz" before their name is a mark of respect (but does not signify any hierarchical differences). Those who are entitled to use the word are tested for the accuracy of their recall by being asked to continue the reading of a passage taken randomly from the Qur'an.
Most Huffaz have studied as children in special Islamic schools or madrasahs, being instructed in tajweed (rules of recitation) and vocalisation as well as committing the Qur'an to memory. To give some idea as to the nature of this undertaking: The Qur'an is divided into 114 Surahs (chapters), containing approximately 6,200 verses (comprising some 80,000 words or 330,000 individual characters). The number of Hafiz currently in the world are estimated by some to be more than 10 million. The Qur'an holds the world record of being the most memorized book because of the huffaz.
During the holy month of Ramadan, special daily prayers called Tarawih are read in the evenings in mosques. During these Tarawih prayers, one Juz' (1/30th of the Qur'an) is often recited by a Hafiz during each of the thirty days of Ramadan. Depending on the size, it is quite often the case that there are other Huffaz amongst the worshippers acting almost as theatre prompts, correcting the Hafiz reciting.
Today, a Hafiz is a respected member of the Islamic community; most Muslim communities have at least one Hafiz. A number of scholars point to hadiths that state that a hafiz will be rewarded on Judgement Day, as will his or her parents, and will be granted the ability to intercede on behalf of ten family members.
"He who learns the Qur’an and practices upon it, his parents will be made to wear a crown on the day of Qiyamah, the brilliance of which will excel that of the sun if the same were within your worldly houses. Hence, what do you think about the person who himself acts upon it?" (Abu Dawood)."Whoever reads the Qur’an and memorises it, while he regards what it makes lawful as lawful and its unlawful as forbidden (i.e. he practices according to it), Allah Ta’ala will admit him into Jannah and will accept his intercession on behalf of ten such persons of his family who were doomed to the fire of Jahannum" (Tirmidhi)</BLOCKQUOTE>
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